Scarlet Woman
by Jezzabelle
Summary: When a presentday girl gets timeturned back to the days of the trio's seventh year, she decides to have as much fun and adventure as possible. But is this at the expense of her new friends? And what is this unity we've been hearing about? Mainly SSOC
1. Party like it's 1997

Yeah, this still isn't the sequel to 'Fallen From Grace', featuring the lovely Midori Evadine. Oh well. I've only got one or two chapters left to write with that, I've just been more inspired with this story. I've got about ten other stories on the go, most of which I'll never finish. Such is life.

Forgive me if I write 'color' instead of 'colour', or things like that. The spellcheck on this program only checks American English and doesn't recognize proper English as being actual words, so it tries to correct them by taking out u's or changing s's to z's. Sometimes I change it to American English to appease Microsoft Word, sometimes I don't. You'll have to bear with me.

Oh, and since I started writing this before book seven came out, please consider it AU and forgive my glossing-over of Voldemort's defeat.

-----

_Wednesday, 1__st__ September, 2007_

_9.50am_

_First day of a new school year – my seventh year. I hope it's okay. I'm on my way to the train station._

Scarlet Lennon, a pretty Slytherin girl of around seventeen, closed her diary and shoved it unceremoniously into the satchel at her feet. She had chin-length, deep blue hair; vibrant purple eyes with flecks of silver; skin so pale it was almost white; and glossy red lips. She was wearing a pair of loose black jeans and a plain black t-shirt, and was seated in the passenger seat of the car her parents had given her on her seventeenth birthday. The driver was her best muggle friend, Pete, and Scarlet had agreed to let him borrow the car while she was away at school on the condition that he treat it well and return it with a full tank of petrol.

"You okay?" Pete asked, breaking Scarlet out of her trance-like state.

"Yeah, sure," Scarlet said, bewildered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're pretty quiet over there," Pete replied, taking a left at a set of traffic lights.

"Oh… I just like looking out the window," Scarlet explained, returning her gaze to the rush of grey buildings zooming past her in a blur. She fished around in her top, looking for the necklace she had been given at birth. It was a silver circle around a beautiful sapphire, and she had a habit of flicking the sapphire when there was nothing else to occupy her mind. She felt something metal but then realised it was the timeturner her grandparents had given her for her birthday and dropped it. After a moment, she found her sapphire necklace and drew it out from underneath her t-shirt. She flicked the gem and it spun wildly.

The car screeched to a sudden, jerky halt, and Scarlet threw her hands forward and grabbed the dashboard. "What the fuck?" She cried.

"Sorry," came the answer. "I haven't got the hang of this 'gradual stop' thing."

"Well, I don't want you fucking up my car's brakes, so maybe you should improve your driving skills," Scarlet laughed, as she exited the car and slung her satchel over her shoulder. Pete popped the boot of the car and dragged out Scarlet's trunk, clearly thinking of carrying it for her. "Pete, I can carry my own trunk –"

"There'll be time for carrying your own trunk later. I won't see you for months, I want our last moments to be wonderful," he said overdramatically, raising his arms to the sky and shaking his fists as his tone of voice slowly rose.

Scarlet laughed. "You're an idiot, Pete. You do know that, don't you?"

"You love it," Pete smiled in return, following Scarlet as she made her way across the train station towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. As they reached the barrier, Scarlet smiled up at Pete and took her trunk from him.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, "You're a good guy."

"I know," Pete said, drawing Scarlet into a tight hug. She hugged him in return for a moment before glancing at the clock.

"Look Pete, I really have to go," she said. "See you later –"

"Will you come back for Christmas?"

"Maybe."

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"If I'm coming back. I'll owl you," Scarlet said quickly, looking at the clock. She grasped his shoulder for a moment, and then vanished into the barrier between platforms.

-----

"What're you listening to?"

Scarlet was sitting in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express with her Ravenclaw boyfriend, Simon. She was staring out the window, as usual, and she had an iPod in her ears. The problem of electricity not working around Hogwarts had been solved a year or so before Scarlet began attending Hogwarts, a simple bubblehead charm did the trick. Once the charm was completed successfully, the bubble was moulded into the shape of the appliance so that it didn't give the device an odd, distorted look. The discovery of this was a godsend for Scarlet, who loved music more than anything else and couldn't bear to live without it.

"Stuff," she replied to her boyfriend. Simon's black hair covered part of his face, including his right eye, and there were blue chunks dyed in it. He also had a silver stud in his lower lip. "What're you reading?" She asked, gesturing to the old-looking book he held in his hand.

"Stuff," he mocked her. Scarlet smiled, and drew out what she thought was her sapphire necklace. She flicked it a couple of times, and saw Simon's curious expression turn into shock. "Is that a timeturner?" He demanded fearfully, eyes wide. Scarlet looked down, and sure enough, the tiny hourglass was spinning wildly.

"Si-" Scarlet shouted, throwing an arm out, but it was too late. The carriage spun into a mesh of blurry colours, and by the time Scarlet's nausea subsided she found herself face-down on the floor of the same compartment, but it was devoid of her boyfriend. "-Mon," she finished lamely, her right arm stretched out to nobody. She stood up, brushing herself down, and realised she was not alone in the carriage. It contained three people whose faces were not unknown to her. They had been plastered over every magazine cover, textbook and shop window Scarlet had cared to look at for the past ten years. They were the legendary trio who had vanquished Voldemort – Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.

"What?" Cried the redhead boy Scarlet recognized as Ron. "How did you… what?"

"Timeturner accident," Scarlet said, breathless. _Simon_… she thought to herself as she fished the timeturner out of her top. It was perpetually smashing, then re-forming. _Of course,_ she thought. _I broke it when I landed._ _Why did I have to land face down?_

"Oh my," Hermione said. "I think we'd better get you straight to McGonagall when we get to the school."

"_And with the vanquishing of the evil Lord Voldemort, the trio returned to Hogwarts for their final year. Studious Hermione, Harry, who only wanted to be where he had felt at home, and Ronald, or 'Ron' to his friends, who wanted to be near his friends no matter what the location."_ Scarlet remembered the book she had read for Defence against the Dark Arts, detailing the trio's defeat of Voldemort just before their seventh year at Hogwarts had started. So she need not worry about keeping their accomplishments secret from them, as they had already happened. Scarlet felt a huge weight lift from her mind as she realised that she wasn't going to be changing the course of history anytime soon.

"Are you from the future or the past?" Ron asked curiously.

"Future, ten years, I'd say," Scarlet said. "Man, you would not believe how sick I am of seeing your faces on everything. Cereal boxes, too! Talk about overkill!"

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Well, it's all 'Ron Weasley, the man behind the moustache' –"

"I get a moustache?" Ron asked eagerly, stroking his upper lip thoughtfully.

"Ronald, you're not to ask… I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Hermione said, turning to Scarlet.

"It's Scarlet, Scarlet Lennon," Scarlet said quickly. Hermione smiled gratefully.

"Thanks. Now Ronald, you're not to ask Scarlet any more questions about the future, or you might change it."

"But if I could just –"

"NO, Ronald," Hermione said sternly.

"Who are you, my mother?" Ron demanded. Hermione glared at him. "Never mind, with that face, you _are_ my mother."

-----

Questions? Comments? Don't hesitate to drop me a line.


	2. And So The Adventures Begin

Scarlet admired her reflection in the dark window. As she had only her satchel with a small amount of spare clothes when she had timeturned, she had no robes to change into. Therefore, when Ron and Harry left her and Hermione to change, she had changed into different clothes, so as to make a good impression on the most famous graduating class Hogwarts had ever seen. She wore a long-sleeved, mesh top under a short black t-shirt with a skull and crossbones on the front that showed off her mesh-covered stomach, the chunky black books she had worn with her jeans over, a pair of thigh-high red and black striped socks, and a short black skirt.

Ron and Harry re-entered the carriage and they both stared directly at Scarlet. "Whoa," Ron said.

"What?" Asked Scarlet fearfully. "Is my skirt tucked into my underpants or something?"

"Ronald has apparently never seen a pretty girl before," Hermione said coolly. "Shut your mouth, you'll let the flies in."

Ron looked scandalized. "Hermione!" He cried. "Harry's looking too! And _he's_ the one that's supposed to be your _boyfriend!_"

Hermione stared at Harry for a moment, and then thwacked him upside the head. He looked sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, Mione."

-----

They had expected to have to seek out McGonagall after the sorting ceremony and the feat, but she swooped down on them bare minutes after they entered the Great Hall.

"Why are you out of school uniform?" She asked, then without waiting for an answer, continued – "I will have to remove points from your house. Erm… which house are you in?"

"Professor McGonagall," Scarlet began, slightly bemused to see the familiar face of her old headmistress with fewer wrinkles and less grey hair. "I'm from ten years in the future, I used my timeturner to get here accidentally but it's broken and –"

"I think you'd better come up to my office," McGonagall cut her off, then gestured towards the trio. "And I suppose you'd better come too."

There was complete silence all the way up to McGonagall's office. Scarlet opened her mouth to say something a few times, but thought better of it and closed it again. Once they had reached the safety of the office, Scarlet began to talk, placing her broken timeturner on the table.

"Professor, this broke when I arrived," Scarlet said. "Do you have one? I know the Ministry has loads –"

"They may have 'loads' where you came from, Miss…?"

"Lennon, Scarlet Lennon," Scarlet said. McGonagall continued.

"Miss Lennon, but the Ministry's entire stock of timeturners were broken a couple of years ago. According to Scrimgeour, they need to locate the proper method of creating timeturners before they can create new ones, and that is located somewhere in the Ministry's deep libraries…"

"So I can't go back…" Scarlet muttered, the reality sinking in.

"Not until the Ministry creates more timeturners, and then we will see what we can do about getting you one." McGonagall shuffled papers on her desk. "Now, I think the only thing left to do is to arrange for you to complete your final year of schooling here, or at least until we can get you a timeturner to return to your own time. What house did you say you were in?"

"Slytherin…" Scarlet muttered, her mind elsewhere. If she had nothing to do but wait until a new timeturner was procured and then she could go back to her own time, she felt as though she definitely needed to create some chaos for this time period. _I'll have adventures, oh yes I will,_ she thought to herself evilly. But what she didn't realise were that three of the occupants of the room she was in were staring at her, horror-struck.

"Slytherin?" Harry echoed.

"_You're_ a Slytherin?" Ron demanded incredulously.

"Yes," Scarlet said tersely. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, if you're a bloodline-obsessed, muggle-hating twat," Ron spat.

"Look here!" Scarlet shouted. "I may be a Slytherin but the Sorting Hat's songs have always said that the traits for Slytherin were ambition and cunning, not how much you hate Muggles. After all, Godric and Salazar were the best of friends before Godric started acting all jerky and decided Salazar wasn't good enough for him anymore. I don't know how things are run in this archaic community, but in _my_ time we treated each other with respect, no matter what house we were in. Why, my… friend is in Ravenclaw!" The last sentence was feeble as she had edited it slightly, making the word 'boyfriend' into the word 'friend', but she knew she could have twice as many adventures if she was unattached. _Besides_, she thought, _who's gonna know?_

"You have house unity?" McGonagall asked curiously, once Scarlet and Ron had stopped glaring daggers at each other.

"Yes," Scarlet said proudly, even though it was not her doing that had caused the houses to unify. "_Hogwarts: A History – Revised_ states that there was an event that happened about ten years ago that unified the houses, perhaps forever." Hermione looked impressed at this statement, and smiled broadly at Scarlet. Scarlet returned the smile, wondering what she had done to merit this show of friendliness.

"Ten years ago?" McGonagall echoed.

"Well, ten years for me, so I guess it should be happening soon-ish," Scarlet said offhandedly. The other occupants of the room noticeably bristled. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. I'll see you later," she said, then rounded on Ron. "Oh, and it's lovely for you to call _me_ a racist when you're immediately prejudiced just for the house I'm in." At that, she walked out of the room, head held high. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard a yell and turned around to see Ron bounding towards her.

"I wanted to apologise," Ron said, and it was clear that he loathed admitting that he was wrong. "I shouldn't have been prejudiced towards you. I just find it hard to talk to girls that I like –"

"You like me?" Scarlet laughed.

"Well, you don't need to laugh in my face," Ron said, angry again.

"No, it's not that, it's just… the _famous_ Ron Weasley, likes _me_."

"Oh," Ron said, blushing. "So I was thinking… do you maybe… doyouwanttogooutwithme?"

"Yeah, okay then," Scarlet said, and smiled before walking away. "And so the adventures begin," she muttered under her breath.


	3. Ugly Old Gits Monthly?

Scarlet stood in a corridor, leaning against the wall of the dungeon where she knew that Ron, Harry and Hermione would pass, all taking NEWT level Potions. She recalled that Snape had felt that by vanquishing his evil, abusive master, he could repay his debt to them by allowing them into his NEWT level class, but that that very act made him free to be as awful as he liked to them. Scarlet had read about it in a tongue-in-cheek article about the trio, written by a Potter-historian, as the obsessed fans liked to call themselves. Her musings were interrupted by a group of Gryffindors coming towards them, the trio included. As Scarlet had not had time to get new clothes, she wore basically the outfit she had worn the previous night, but instead of the mesh top and short skull-and-crossbones t-shirt, she wore a long-sleeved black top that read "Your mom goes to college."

"I don't get it," Ron said, staring at Scarlet's top.

"Don't worry about it," Scarlet laughed. "2007 joke."

"And that's not how you spell mum!" Ron ran after her as she headed towards the Potions classroom.

"Well, it is in Americ- DAAAAMN!" She said loudly. She had grown up used to seeing the old potions professor with a face lined with heavy stress-related wrinkles and hair that was more grey than black, but now, seeing him ten years younger, she was struck by his appearance.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Lennon?" The Potions Master asked silkily.

"Nothing at all," Scarlet said, still transfixed by his appearance but being nearly dragged to her seat by an impatient Ron. _Behold_, she thought mischievously to herself, _adventure number two._

"Today, you will be concocting the Blood Bane Potion, which is used primarily by…?" He trailed off, glaring around the room for one who knew the answer. Hermione's hand shot up inches from Scarlet's left ear and she was so surprised that she let out a small yelp. "Yes, Miss Lennon?" Snape said, misinterpreting her cry.

"Uh…" she said, still in shock from the speed at which Hermione had raised her hand. Hermione was now bobbing up and down in her seat, making odd noises. Scarlet quickly forced herself to stay on track. "Vampire hunters who find themselves unable to otherwise subdue an attacking vampire," she said, once she had forced herself to stop staring at Hermione. "Splashing it onto a vampire removes their need for human blood for a small period of time, but only long enough for the hunter to destroy them."

"Excellent," Snape said softly. "Ten points to Slytherin." Scarlet couldn't suppress a smile at her professor's praise. "Now," he continued, "This potion is very complex and so I do not expect any of you dunderheads to brew it correctly, but this will ascertain which of you I can allow to stay in my class."

"Do you think he'll kick us out if we can't do it right?" Ron asked fearfully as they made their way to the store cupboard. Not taking NEWT level potions would stop him from becoming an Auror, his dream job. Scarlet shrugged.

"Probably not," she said. "He said he didn't expect us to do it right, he can't kick everyone out. But if he did, then he'd have no NEWT class and so he could have this as free time."

Harry snorted, piling ingredients into the crook of his arm. "What do you reckon he does in his free time? Reads 'Ugly Old Gits Monthly'?"

Ron and Hermione laughed, but Scarlet frowned. "Harry, that's very rude," she said, trying to make it seem as though she was only a student who held high regard for politeness and not a girl who was falling for her teacher.

"I agree, Miss Lennon," came Snape's voice from directly behind her. She jumped in shock. "Five points from Gryffindor, Potter, for your disrespect."

Harry scowled as Snape walked away, his cloak swishing around his ankles. They brought their ingredients back to the tables and began to work. Scarlet was the best potions student in the school where she had come from, she had been ever since her first year, even the eleven-year-old Scarlet could surpass the seventh-year NEWT students. She found that there was something very beautiful in a potion, the way that ordinary things, when mixed together, could create something sincerely magical. She had concocted the Blood Bane Potion several times before, and so quickly found herself getting bored. Reaching almost absent-mindedly into her satchel, she brought out her iPod, turning it on so that music blared into her ears. She threw ingredients into her bubbling cauldron and smiled as it turned turquoise, just as the chalkboard said it should.

"What on earth is that sound?" Came what seemed like a distant voice. Scarlet pulled one of the earphones out of her ear and turned to see the class staring at her. She realised that the volume of her music would have attracted the attention of the mostly silent class, and cursed her for not thinking first.

"Sorry, it's just… I'll turn it down if it's bothering you…" she started to mutter, but was cut off.

"What is that?" Hermione asked in wonder, picking the device up and staring at it.

"It's an iPod, it plays music –"

"It does what?" Snape was suddenly standing in front of her desk. She looked up into his cold black eyes, marred with slight curiosity.

"It plays music, here…" she handed him an earphone and he stared at it.

"What am I supposed to do with this, Miss Lennon?"

"You put it in your ear!"

"That sounds very… unhygienic." Snape was staring at it in some disdain.

"Oh, it's not," Scarlet explained. "Just… if you're so freaked out, just hold it up to your ear or something, then you'll see how it works…" Snape complied, holding the earphone to his head. He looked surprised for a moment, and then sat the earphone down on the desk.

"Interesting," he said. "Which wizard invented this?"

"Oh, it wasn't a wizard," Scarlet explained with a smile. "It was a muggle."

"Then it runs on electricity, but that's not possible," Hermione said. She was staring even harder at the appliance. "All the magic would make it fizzle out."

"No, if you do a bubblehead charm then the electricity and the magic stay separate, it's just moulded to the shape of the iPod…"

"That's amazing!" Hermione said. "But won't you telling us this change the future?"

"I think it already did," Scarlet said, amused. "It was discovered a few years before I started going to Hogwarts, I guess this is how it happened."

By the end of the lesson, Scarlet had her plan mapped out in her head. She waited until the rest of the class had gone to break, then walked up to Snape's desk where he was shuffling papers.

"Was there something you wanted, Miss Lennon?" He asked. Scarlet smiled.

"I was wondering, if you had time, I mean, if you wouldn't mind, I just thought it'd be good to have some Potions tutoring," she said, trying not to mess up her words too much.

"You wanted me to tutor you in Potions, Miss Lennon?" He asked curiously. "I don't see that there's really any point. You are the only person who managed to brew a correct Blood Bane Potion, one of the best I've seen, mind you, and the way you work has the excellence and grace of a professional Potionmaker."

Scarlet could feel herself blushing at his praise. Then she realised what his words meant: _he had been watching her work._ She blushed even harder. Then she realised that with all her blushing and asking for extra time with him, she had been making her intentions painfully clear. She decided to try and remedy this. "It's just that, you know, I'm really into Potions," she said. _And potions masters_, she fought not to add.

"That's good, Miss Lennon. So many times I have seen Potions skills wasted because the student is more interested in other areas of magic," he said. "Was there anything else?"

"No sir," she said, and smiling, she walked out of the room. After a moment, she poked her head back around the door frame. "Oh, and thank you, sir, for your kind words." Snape gave her something which could have been a sneer or a smile, and turned back to his papers. Scarlet smiled even wider and walked away towards the Slytherin dorms.

-----

Here's another chapter! Please, nobody review or PM me about my sketchy use of time-travel changing the future in this chapter. It's all extremely confusing and I'd rather not think about it.


	4. Maybe She Just Likes Gumballs

Scarlet was facing Snape, his black robes flying out behind him in the wind. His hair was spinning wildly. Scarlet looked down to see that they were standing at the edge of a huge cliff-peninsula. Waves smashed against the jagged rocks below and she gasped.

"I wouldn't like to fall down there," she smiled, taking a step towards him and touching his shoulder.

"We don't always get what we want," he replied in a monotone, and threw her from the cliff. She screamed loudly and stared at the oncoming sharp rocks. They came closer and closer. She clenched her eyes shut and screamed even louder. Just as she felt the impact smash her skull, she opened her eyes and found herself in her warm bed in the Slytherin dorm. She breathed a sigh of relief and rolled over. Soon, she found that she could not return to sleep.

Scarlet lay awake, staring at the green and silver hangings above her bed. She had potions that morning. It was a week since she had asked for tutoring, and she had made no progress. Snape occasionally praised her work, sometimes rewarding her with points for Slytherin, but it seemed that their relationship was nothing more than a teacher appreciating a student actually putting in effort. Not that Scarlet needed to try very hard, she was naturally very gifted. She could even brew potions better than Hermione, whose Blood Bane Potion had turned into rotten-smelling muck by the end of the lesson. She smiled as she thought about how livid Hermione had looked when Scarlet had effortlessly pulled off the Blood Bane Potion.

Suddenly, music blared from the alarm clock Scarlet had conjured, and she slammed a hand down on the timepiece, silencing the music. She threw the covers off her in one swift motion and, shivering at the cold, walked towards the bathroom. After her shower, she pulled on a black wool turtleneck with three quarter sleeves and the black jeans she had worn to the station. She still had not had the time to buy new clothes or robes, and so was still living off what was in her satchel. She sped back into the dorm and took a running jump towards the bed of her new friend, Pansy Parkinson. She landed just next to her friend's sleeping figure and Pansy awoke with a snort.

"Whafudda?" Pansy said thickly, sitting up. "Fuck, cold."

"Yes," Scarlet said, crouching on the bed with her arms dangling between her knees. "Fuck, cold. Coffee?"

"Please," Pansy said, brushing her hair away from her face. Scarlet waved her wand and two steaming mugs of coffee appeared on Pansy's bedside table, seemingly from nowhere. Pansy grabbed one and took a huge gulp, before slamming the mug down on the table and clutching her throat. "Fuck, hot!" Scarlet smiled.

"Fuck, time," she said, pointing to the clock. "Ten minutes before class."

"FUCK, TIME!" Pansy shrieked, leaping out of bed and then immediately leaping back in. "Fuck, cold!"

"Oh, stop whining," Scarlet said good-naturedly. "Go shower and brush your stinky teeth, stinky."

"Shutup, you twenty-five knut _whore!_" Pansy cried, but she was laughing. Scarlet raised and eyebrow.

"Wow, I've been ripping people off," she laughed. "I hope they don't complain, I was planning to buy a hefty amount of gumballs."

Pansy narrowed her eyes. "You're _weird_."

"Yeah," Scarlet agreed, "But at least I'm not late for class." Pansy shrieked and shot towards the bathrooms, and Scarlet laughed and grabbed her bag, heading towards Potions. She arrived three minutes early and sat in her usual seat, waiting for the rest of the class to arrive. Snape was writing something down at the front of the room.

"Good morning, sir," Scarlet ventured. Snape glanced up, and then looked back down to his parchment.

"Miss Lennon," he acknowledged her. "You did well last lesson. I enjoyed your use of lavender in the Lewalus Opulus Potion last lesson."

"Thank you, sir," she smiled, just as students began to trickle into the room.

The lesson was almost over and Snape had not come by at all, not to comment on her work or even to see how she was going. She would glance up at him every so often but he was always either making snide remarks about other students' work or grading papers at his desk. Five minutes before the lesson was due to end, Scarlet knew that she had to act. Picking up a huge, slimy dragon heart, she stood up.

"HEY, ARSE-FACE!" She shouted, and Snape looked up violently. But he was not the only one. The eyes of the entire class were focused on her. She drew her arm back, and launched the heart at the professor. Now, she had never had a great aim. She usually missed her mark by several feet. But that day, luck was on her side and the heart slapped directly into Snape's face. It stuck for a moment then squelched loudly to the floor, leaving Snape's face dripping with dragon blood. His eyes remained closed for a moment or two, then opened slowly. His eyes were focused directly on Scarlet and it seemed, for a moment, that everybody else in the room simply vanished. The class waited with bated breath to see what the formidable Potions Master would do. He opened his mouth and the class gasped as one.

"Detention, Miss Lennon," he said at last, and the room, as one, exhaled. "This Saturday. Six pm. Here."

Scarlet smiled to herself.


	5. Detention

Scarlet picked up a handful of chips from the bowl in front of her and piled them on her plate, then picked up the gravy boat and proceeded to drown them. Once she was sure they were all covered in the sticky brown mess, she picked one up and shoved it into her mouth.

"Yum yum yum," Scarlet said, smiling contently. She was especially hungry, as she had not eaten breakfast – it being a Saturday, she had overslept and missed breakfast. "I sure do love my chips."

"Oh, chips and gravy," came a pleased voice from next to Scarlet. Harry sat down next to her, dumping his bag on the ground. "I haven't eaten yet; I've been in the library, doing that stupid essay for Snape. Two feet on belladonna, can you believe it?" He reached his hand towards the bowl of chips only to find that the last few had been taken by another diner. He looked around for a different lunch. "Oh no, can you believe it? Steamed broccoli or kidney and liver pie. Blech!"

"You can have some of my chips if you like," Scarlet said, pushing the bowl over. Harry gave her a grateful look and took a soggy chip from the bowl.

"Oh, wow, this is awesome," Harry said. "I haven't had chips with gravy in so long. You'd better get started on your essay, you know, seeing as you won't have tonight, what with detention and all."

"I've already done it," Scarlet said, eating another chip. "I did it before lunch."

"When did you get up?" Harry asked, awestruck. "Four?"

"Ten," Scarlet said. "It really wasn't hard, I already knew most of what I needed."

Harry stared at her, a chip hanging from between his index finger and thumb. "I can't believe you," he said. "You're the best Potions student in the school, without even trying. You should hear Hermione ranting on about you, she hates it."

"She hates me?" Scarlet asked, slightly hurt. Harry waved her off.

"Nah, she just hates that she's not the best. Don't worry, Hermione's still the best at her other subjects," Harry said, smiling as he thought of his overachieving girlfriend.

"Actually," Scarlet said tentatively, "I asked the professors and they showed me what grades I had – then when they were looking away I looked at Hermione's grades, just to see. I'm actually better than her at nearly all of the classes we both take." Harry's eyes widened. "Don't tell her," Scarlet added hastily.

"I wasn't going to," Harry said just as quickly. "It'd destroy her."

"Okay. Our little secret?" Scarlet smiled.

"Our little secret," Harry agreed. "Wh… why did you throw that heart at Snape?"

"My little secret," Scarlet said with a wink.

-----

At twenty past five that afternoon, Scarlet lay all the clothes she had out on her bed. It didn't feature much choice, seeing as all she had was what was in her satchel. Finally, after a fit of anger and indecisiveness, she just grabbed a shirt and stormed towards the shower. She emerged half an hour later looking as perfect as she dared to look. She wore her black boots, black skirt, and a tight black t-shirt. She had performed a shine charm on her hair and it too looked perfect. Her lips were shiny and blood-red, and her eyes were lined in black. After taking one last check in the mirror, she flounced out of the dormitory and headed towards the potions classroom. After a few minutes of walking, she found herself a mere few feet from the doorway. After taking a deep, steadying breath, she crossed her arms and prepared to walk in.

_No!_ She thought, leaving her arms by her sides. Then she crossed them again. Then uncrossed them. Then she compromised by putting her right hand on her left elbow and leaving her left arm to hang down by her hip. Then, she stepped into the doorway, leaning on the door frame with her left shoulder. She drew her eyes up, expecting to see the potions professor gaping at her, but the room was empty. _WHAT?_ She lifted her shoulder from the door frame and stood angrily, placing her hands on her hips and fuming. _THIS WAS MY BIG ENTRANCE!_

Suddenly, a door opened to her right and the potions professor walked through, freezing at the sight of Scarlet. He glanced at her attire. "How inappropriate," he said simply, then turned to his desk, his back to her. Scarlet stared at him incredulously. _You're supposed to be swooning! _She thought angrily. _Why aren't you swooning?!_

"You will be cleaning the entire floor of the potions classroom tonight, Miss Lennon," he stared her directly in the face. "And by tomorrow morning, I want three hundred lines of _I will not throw organs at Professor Snape._" He gestured to a desk at the front of the class, where there was a scrubbing brush and a bucket of soapy water. Scarlet stared.

"I can't do the whole thing on all fours. My back will hurt real bad and then I'll have to see Madam Pomfrey, and she'll ask why I was hunched over for hours on end and I'll have to say it was you –"

"Fine, fine!" Snape said, but his expression softened. He waved his wand at the brush and it turned into a mop with a long handle. "Is that acceptable, Miss Lennon?"

"Perfectly," she smiled sweetly. "Thank you, sir."

Mopping the Potions classroom proved to me a more daunting task than she had expected. The house elves would usually clean up the room at nights, but Snape knew that they were otherwise occupied on Friday nights and so cleaned up Friday's messes on Saturday night. By organizing a Saturday evening detention, Snape had ensured that Scarlet would have to clean up Friday's dried-on mess before the house elves got a chance. By seven o'clock, Scarlet had wetted the entire floor to soak and then waited for Snape to refill her water bucket. By eight o'clock, she had managed to see the floor through the mass of potions spills. By nine, she almost had the floor completely clean, though sweat was running down her back and face and she wished for the five hundredth time that she could sit down. She sensed Snape watching her intently, and made quite a show of brushing her damp hair away from her face and taking a deep breath, pushing her chest out as she inhaled and pouting her lips out as she exhaled.

"That's enough," barked Snape. "You may go."

"But I'm not done yet –"

"GO!"

Scarlet needed no further instruction. She dropped the mop, letting its handle clatter on the floor, then walked out of the room. She glanced at Snape's face as she left and saw that it was very flushed and he was straightening the papers on his desk unnecessarily. She smiled to herself as she walked out. _Definite progress,_ she thought. _I am a goddess._ She got back to the Slytherin common room entrance to see Ron waiting for her. He smiled at the sight of her and slipped an arm around her waist.

"I was just making sure you were okay after Snape's detention, he can be a real old bat," Ron said. Scarlet sighed and stepped away.

"Ugh, whatever," she said, then upon seeing the look on Ron's face, continued, "I mean, I'm probably really stinky and gross. See you tomorrow, okay?"

And she left him standing outside the Slytherin common room, very confused. Scarlet hadn't meant to be so short with him, but she was beginning to like him less and less as the days wore on. She was beginning to regret saying she'd go out with him. _Oh well_, she thought, _what are you gonna do._


	6. What's Her Deal I Mean Seriously Come On

Hi there everyone! Man, I just tried to write everybody and everyone at the same time and ended up writing everybone. So I'm sorry about the short chapters. Alas, the next couple of chapters will be uber-short, but I'm making up for it by posting a chapter every day. Sorry, it's just that I've got it all written and everything. Aaaaaaaaanyway, I'm trying this new shit that will cause me to write a good solid 1500 words each chapter, but unfortunately it was only implemented a week or so ago and thus many of my started but not finished stories are in the old, shitty writing style that you're used to. So here's an apology in advance for this short chapter, and the next couple of short chapters. I am very, very sorry.

-----

Scarlet sat down to breakfast the following Sunday morning, feeling very pleased with herself. She had just accomplished what she had feared was unaccomplishable – she had made Snape flustered, a starting point to winning him over. She poured porridge into her bowl happily, spooning great amounts of honey and sugar on top.

"Don't you need to watch your figure?" The acid voice came from the other side of Harry.

"Why, do you think I need to?" Scarlet asked sincerely, looking around. It was Hermione who had spoken those words. She looked quite grumpy. Scarlet figured it was because Hermione couldn't stand anyone being better than her.

"You might, with all the food you've been scarfing," Hermione said. Scarlet stared.

"What?"

"Do you cast a fat-removing charm? Or just throw up after you eat?" Hermione continued. Harry and Ron were staring at her, oblivious as to what was making her turn so cruel.

"I'm sorry, do you have a problem with me?" Scarlet said, standing up. Hermione followed her lead and stood too, shoving books in her bag.

"Yes," Hermione said, "I do. Now if you'll excuse me, I have homework to do." And with that, she stalked out of the room.

"What the hell was that all about?" Scarlet asked, going back to her porridge. "I thought she was nice."

"She usually is nice," Ron said. "But sometimes she can be… very… opinionated."

"I'm sorry Scarlet," Harry said. "I didn't think she'd be this upset. I told her how quickly you did the belladonna essay."

"What does that matter? Surely she did it just as fast?" Scarlet asked, still bewildered.

"Well, no…" Harry said. "Belladonna isn't really her strongest point. She's still working on the essay."

"Oh," Scarlet said. "It's not like it's _my_ fault she doesn't know much about belladonna…" she trailed off, looking into her porridge bowl sadly.

"Yeah, we know," Ron said. Harry put a hand on Scarlet's shoulder.

"If it makes a difference, I think Hermione's being very unreasonable," Harry said quietly. "Even though she's my girlfriend, in this, I'm on your side."

"Thanks, Harry," Scarlet said with a smile. "That means a lot."

"Wait on a minute," Ron said. "I just realised – you've been eating at the Gryfiindor table all this time, when you're in Slytherin. Is that allowed?"

"Allowed?" Scarlet echoed. "In the future, anyone sits anywhere. Houses only really matter in Quidditch and the House Cup. Seriously guys, get with the program. You need some unity, and it's going to happen soon, according to the revised edition of _Hogwarts: a History_."

That night, Scarlet lay awake in bed. _This isn't going fast enough._ _Who knows when the ministry will perfect a new timeturner? I could be sent back any day now. I need adventure right now_. She crept out of bed silently, donned her most daring lingerie, (which wasn't saying much as she had had to wear the same underwear since she arrived) covered it with a cloak against the chilly night, and walked down to Snape's private quarters. She knew their location from Harry's marauder's map, and had no trouble reaching them in the dark, as the corridors were lit by flaming torches in brackets. She knocked on the door. After a few minutes, it opened to reveal Snape, still in his teaching robes.

"What on earth are you doing here, Miss Lennon?" He asked. Scarlet leant against the door frame, letting her cloak fall to the side to reveal what she had on underneath – which wasn't very much.

"I wanted some…" she paused, "assignment help, _sir_."

"Merlin, girl, get inside before somebody sees you," the professor ushered her in and moved into another room. Scarlet surveyed the room she was standing in. It had a chest of drawers, a large, old closet, a huge bed with black sheets, and in the corner was a side-table, featuring decanters of different coloured liquid that Scarlet was sure was alcohol. The curtains were drawn on the tall windows.

She let the cloak drop to the ground and moved towards the room where Snape had vanished to. She heard a snatch of speech – "student, she's a student," then, wondering why he was talking to himself, moved back towards the bed. She sat on it and crossed one leg over the other, then leant back, resting her hands on the mattress and shaking her head so that her hair looked slightly windswept. She debated mentally for a moment as to whether this was a good position to be seen in when Snape returned from wherever he was. Finally deciding to change position, she never got the chance to, as Snape re-entered the room, looking very flustered and somewhat tense. He froze, seeing Scarlet reclining on his bed.

"What – are – you – doing?" he said the words in a jerky whisper, wide-eyed. He was running his hands through his hair. "You – are – a – student!"

"Not for another ten years, technically," Scarlet said in a low voice. "Soon I'll be gone, anyway."

The potions master looked momentarily relieved, then tensed up again. "And what if someone were to find out?"

Scarlet inwardly beamed and fought the urge to jump up and dance. "You think I would let us be found out?"

Snape sat on the bed next to her, running a hand through his hair again. "I didn't want to let it come to this."

"And yet, here you are," Scarlet said, placing her arm around his shoulders. "Come now," she whispered, "we've wasted so much time already…"


	7. Really Damn Quick

Sorry for making you guys wait for this chapter. I've had a lot to do. Also I'm sorry about the shortness of this chapter, and the shortness of next chapter, but I'll go back to uploading once a day to make up for it, okay? Thanks for understanding.

-----

Scarlet was having the same dream she had had only a few nights before. She was standing on top of a huge cliff, looking down on the jagged rocks below.

"I wouldn't want to fall," she smiled up at her professor, "_Severus_."

"Sometimes," he replied, holding her close, "we don't get what we want." And he threw her once more from the cliff. She screamed all the way down, but just as she was about to hit the rocks, she felt herself being drawn up, and realised that Snape had sprouted wings and was taking her back up to the cliff top.

"I thought you said we don't get what we want," she said fearfully as they touched down.

"_You_ did," Snape said, the corners of his mouth twitching. "And so did I."

Scarlet opened her eyes. Sunlight was pouring in through the cracks in the curtains, one beam was shining in her eyes and she grumbled and turned over to face the still-sleeping potions master.

"Wake up, sleepy head," she said, poking him in the face. He muttered something then opened his eyes.

"Then it wasn't just a dream," he said quietly. "Merlin, this is unacceptable…"

"I suggest you put some pants on before you start talking about what is and isn't acceptable," Scarlet said, pulling her underwear on and fastening her cloak. "But, I thought it was good."

"That is not in question!" Snape said loudly, but a shadow of an amused smile was playing at his mouth. She kissed him on the cheek.

"I'd better get back to the dorms, or people will talk," she said, and she made her way towards the door. Just as she rested a hand on the doorknob, however, a cold voice called out a single word.

"Freeze."

Terrified, she turned around. Two other wizards were standing in the room, and one had Snape bound and gagged. "Blimey, that was quick!" She cried. "How did you manage that one? I mean, obviously you used a binding spell, but, oh wow, that's just insane!"

"SHUTUP!" Screeched the wizard who did not have hold of the professor. "STUPEFY!"

-----

Scarlet opened her eyes. One shoulder was aching painfully in protest at being at such an odd angle, and one of her knees was bruised, perhaps from falling when she had been stunned. She was tied to a chair, and Snape was tied up next to her. Upon seeing that she was awake, he began to talk to her quietly.

"I'm sorry you had to be involved in this, Scarlet –"

"It's okay," Scarlet muttered with a smile. "I'm resilient, I'll be fine."

"No, you don't understand," Snape whispered. "These people are trained in torture, even though you don't know anything of use to them, they will still probably torture you to insanity –"

"They're awake!" came a voice from behind them. The two wizards who had kidnapped them walked around the chairs until they were standing directly in front of the bound pair. One of the wizards, a dark-haired man with an eye patch over one eye, sneered.

"Snape," he spat.

"Trinnet," he replied. "I see you and Parker haven't taken the Dark Lord's defeat too well?"

"He's not dead!" came the screechy voice of Parker, the wizard who had stunned Scarlet.

"You idiot, of course he's dead!" Scarlet shouted. Parker glared at her.

"_Crucio!_" he cried, pointing his wand at her. Pain as Scarlet had never felt was flowing through her veins; it felt as though every cell in her body was made of razor blades. She tried to stop herself from screaming but her agonized cries rang out through the huge room and echoed around the walls.

"That's enough!" came a shout from next to her, and the pain abated. It was Snape who had shouted. Parker lowered his wand.

"You want to tell us where the Dark Lord is?"

"I want to tell you that _she_ knows nothing," Snape said, his tone steely. "But _I_ know exactly where _Voldemort_ is."

"Don't say his name!" Trinnet seethed. "You filthy betrayer!"

"Where is he?" Parker asked, a manic look in his eye.

"Exactly where he belongs," Snape said. "In hell."

This time, Parker's wand was pointed at Snape. "_Crucio!_"


	8. His Hair Is Nice, Okay

I know this chapter is short, but for real, next chapter is about double this one. So don't get too angsty.

-----

After two days under the torture of Parker and Trinnet, the Death Eaters still had not got the answers they wanted. They placed the Cruciatus curse on them repeatedly, but all they got were sarcastic remarks and insistences that neither of them knew anything of the Dark Lord's whereabouts, if he were still alive.

"WE KNOW NOTHING," Scarlet called out to the Death Eaters, who were playing cards at a table across the room. "Fools…"

"Yes, but we can't afford to offend the people who have our lives in their hands, Scarlet," Snape whispered urgently. "We need to spend our time on working out a way out of this mess."

"There is no way out," Scarlet groaned. "We've been searching for a way out for two days. Face it: we're probably going to die."

"Never give up hope, Scarlet," Snape said, staring her directly in the eyes. "Don't sink into despair, whatever you do. If you do that, then we really have no chance of escaping."

"They'll kill us any second!" Scarlet whispered angrily. "What have I got to hope for? They could, right now, just shout –"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" The cry came from the other end of the room. There was a flash of green light, and Scarlet closed her eyes, waiting for the impact. However, it never came. _This can only mean one thing_, she thought sadly. _Severus is dead_.

"Scarlet?" came a voice from her left, the voice of her potions master.

"Severus!" She cried. "I thought you were dead!"

"I thought you were dead!"

"Who's dead?" They both asked, and Scarlet felt her ropes loosen. She sprang out of the chair and covered herself up with the cloak that was still draped around her shoulders. The two Death Eaters lay on the ground. Harry, Ron and Hermione were standing there, tears running down Hermione's face.

"Holy shit, Hermione!" Scarlet cried. "You killed a guy?"

"That was Parker," Harry said quietly. "He tortured and killed Hermione's parents."

Ron walked over to Scarlet and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

Scarlet smiled. "Yeah, it was a really nice thing to rescue me like that."

Ron returned the smile. "Well, it's the least a guy could do for his girl."

"About that," Scarlet said, noticing Snape twitch next to her. "I think it'd be better if we were just friends. I really want to be friends with you."

"Oh," Ron said, "Erm… okay…"

"Yes, Weasley," Snape said, placing a hand on Scarlet's shoulder. "I'm afraid that Scarlet has found someone else."

"_You?_" Ron cried, staring.

"Eh," Scarlet said indifferently. "I'm kind of bored with you, Severus."

"You – you're _bored_ with me? After all that effort, you've decided you're _bored_?" Snape cried incredulously.

"Yeah, that's kind of the way of things."

"If any of you," Snape seethed, gesturing towards the four, "tell a _soul_, I will dock four hundred points from Gryffindor and make sure none of you pass your NEWTs." He stormed out, and the four burst out laughing.

"Why did you want _him_?" Ron asked, bewildered.

"He has an amazing passion for Potions, I kind of admired that. And I like his hair."

"Why are you in your underwear?" Ron asked Scarlet. She snorted with laughter, then fought for a straight face.

"No reason."


	9. Good to be Bad

It took me like, three months to write this chapter. I wasn't very motivated. Enjoy. It made _me_ giggle.

-----

Scarlet pushed part of her short blue hair back and secured it with a pin decorated by a twisted, glittering green snake. Uncapping her eyeliner with a small _pop_, she ran it over her eyes, then brushed dark green powder over her eyelids. Applying red-tinted lip gloss, she admired her outfit in the mirror. It was a school shirt she had borrowed from Pansy, open to just below her bra so that it was peeking out, her black miniskirt and fishnet thigh-high stockings with round-toed black heels. Giving herself a quick spray with a can of hairspray, she twirled in front of Pansy.

"How do I look?" She asked, grinning.

"…Seductive," Pansy replied with a broad smile. "Who are you dressing up for anyway?"

"Never you mind," Scarlet said mischievously, pinching Pansy's cheek before flouncing out of the dormitory and towards the underground corridors that led from the Slytherin dungeons. Taking steps along the path that led her towards the office of a certain teacher, she noticed how loud her shoes were clacking on the stone floor. She rubbed her hands together, cursing how cold the dungeons got at this time of day. Reaching the door she was after, she gazed up at the small silver letters that adorned the wood a few inches above her eye-level – _Prof._ _Severus Snape_. Knocking on the door, she wondered why she had not noticed these letters when she had gone there in her underwear.

"Enter," came an imperious but slurred voice from inside the room, and Scarlet tentatively pushed the door open. The professor was lying on his back on his huge bed, spread-eagled. Two bottles and a shot glass were sitting on the bedside table, easily within his reach, one bottle empty and the other half-full.

"Sir, have you been drinking?" Scarlet asked. The professor's head turned sharply towards her and he stared at her.

"What are you doin' here?" He asked, pushing way the tendril of hair that had flown and attached itself to his cheek. "Damn hair! I jus'… it's all wet, I jus' washed it an'… an' all…"

Scarlet looked at Snape and realised that he was only clothed from the waist down. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"I jus' had shower, an'… clothes are for jerks." He rolled onto his stomach and gazed up at her, a half-smile on his face. It looked very peculiar. One of his eyelids was half closed. "You're lookin' real pretty, Scary."

"Scarlet, not Scary," Scarlet corrected gently, then sat down on the bed. This was going to be easier than she thought. "So, Professor… what are you in the mood for?"

"Something that is not appropriate!" He cried, sitting up so quickly he was but a blur. "You say you don't like me anymore…"

"Severus, Severus, Severus," Scarlet sighed. "We agreed to keep… what we have under wraps. You violated this agreement and I had to remedy the situation by pretending I didn't like you anymore." This was a lie. Scarlet _had_ been bored with Snape, but she had ended up changing her mind again.

Snape stared a moment. "I don't know what you are sayin'."

"I'm saying, I like you." Scarlet poured some liquid from the bottle on the bedside table into the small glass and threw it back. "You just have to keep it quiet. You think Dumbledore would let us see each other? He'd definitely know about it if we were public, like you were trying to make us the other night."

"And now, we can be… together," Snape said, a broad smile looking very peculiar on his face. Scarlet tugged at a lock of his hair lightly and then stood up to leave. "Where you goin'?"

"I'm going to have an adventure, Severus," Scarlet said simply, then walked out of the room without a backward glance. She closed the door behind her, faintly regretful at not being able to have another 'adventure' with Snape, but loud snores from inside the room told her that there would probably have been minimal adventuring.

Laughing, she made her way up innumerable flights of stairs towards the Gryffindor common room. Reaching the entrance, she paused. Even she had to admit, her plan was terrible. Just waltz into the common room, _hoping_ it contains the one person you're after and nobody else? It was feeble, however it was the only plan she had, so she took a deep breath and entered the common room. Hoping against hope, she opened her eyes and saw that her prayers had been answered. Harry Potter sat in a squashy red armchair in front of the fire, reading a huge, heavy book. His glasses were slipping down on his nose, perched a few centimeters below the bridge. However, he pressed his glasses further up his nose as he turned his head to see who was entering the Common Room so late at night. His bottom lip dropped momentarily, before he regained his senses and closed his mouth.

"Hi, Scarlet," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "What… who were you after?"

"Oh, I think you know… _who_ I'm after." Scarlet stepped towards him, exaggerating the swaying motion of her hips. She drew her fingers claw-like up her thigh, catching on her fishnets and tugging at the material. It snapped back to her leg and Harry drew back ever so slightly. She drew the fingertips of her other hand down the drooping neckline of her shirt, pausing momentarily at the lace of her visible bra. She saw the boy in front of her swallow nervously, eyes wide.

"Er… I don't mean to be rude, but -"

"Yes?" Scarlet said, letting her voice drop an octave or so to a sultry purr, "But what, Harry?" She leant forwards and placed her hands on the arm of his chair, and saw his gaze drop a few inches away from her face. She placed two fingers under his chin and drew his face up. "What is it?"

"I'm… I'm with… Hermione…" Harry barely moved his lips, the last word coming out as a bare murmur.

"Mmm… but Harry, you've been so _good_ all your life… it feels so good to be bad, and I should know," Scarlet said, curving her lips into a pout. "I've done some… bad things in my time."

"Like, like what?" Harry asked quietly.

"Why don't you find out?" Scarlet said, in a voice so soft it was a bare whisper. Harry let out a small squeak. This was what Scarlet had been waiting for. She took Harry's limp hand in hers and gently led him out of the common room, towards the third-floor corridor where her perfect plan would come to fruition. Passing the same stretch of corridor thrice in succession, a large door appeared. A smile playing across her shiny red lips, she opened the door and led the dumbstruck boy inside like a lost puppy.


	10. The Best Chapter In The World

This is my favourite chapter, for real. Enjoy!

-----

Scarlet yawned, throwing the silk sheets off her naked body and crawling out of the bed she had shared with Harry the previous night. The room had been beautiful. The walls were painted deep mahogany, set off by five glowing red orbs that provided the room with a dim light. The bed was lovely, a deep red circle adorned with near-luminescent silk sheets and pillows. The ceiling of the room was enchanted, like the roof of the Great Hall, to reflect the outside weather. While it had been beautifully dark, with sparkling stars and a shining moon the previous night, now the sunlight bounced off every surface and warmed Scarlet's skin. She sipped at the steaming Irish coffee that had appeared on the chest of drawers, a chest of drawers containing the most sinful, peculiar objects that Scarlet had been curious to explore with Harry that night. She tied her short blue dreadlocks back with a hair band, but this inevitably left quite a bit of hair to hang down at the front. A small snuffle came from the bed and Scarlet moved quickly, taking her wand from the bedside table and casting a disillusionment charm over the camera that had been hidden in the shadows.

"Morning lover," she said brightly, walking over and passing a fresh mug of coffee to the bleary-eyed boy in the bed, who was grunting and putting on his glasses. He took the coffee gratefully and smiled at her.

"Thanks, Scarlet," he said, taking a sip. He stared. "You haven't got any clothes on."

"Neither have you," Scarlet said, crossing her arms over her chest huffily. "Are you complaining?"

"No! No, no, no. No. That is something that I am not doing. Besides, it doesn't matter that I haven't got any clothes on. _I'm_ under a _sheet_." Scarlet's face broke into a broad grin as she yanked away the silk covers.

"Not anymore! Ha ha ha!"

Harry grimaced. "Here comes that feeling of vulnerability," he muttered. "You won't mention this to Hermione, right? Right?"

"Of course not, lover," Scarlet said, crawling across the crimson bed and kissing Harry. "Of course… you know where to find me." She raised an eyebrow, and then drew back suddenly, gathering her clothing. "Well, time to go."

"Already?" Harry said, disappointed.

"Well, class started about ten minutes ago."

Harry squeaked. "I've got Potions! Snape'll murder me!"

-----

Wearing Pansy's shirt and her own miniskirt, Scarlet walked, whistling, towards her Divination class. A black satchel, similar to her own satchel, had appeared in the Room of Requirement, and to her surprise, had allowed itself to be removed from the room. It contained her shoes, fishnets, and a certain videotape that she would keep to herself, for now. As she ascended the ladder to the Divination room, her whistling progressed to singing, which evolved into a shout.

"I'D LIKE TO BE UNDER THE SEA!" Scarlet cried, taking the ladder slowly. "IN AN OCTOPUS'S GARDEN IN THE SHADE!" The trapdoor was wrenched open, and the livid face of Professor Trelawney appeared.

"You've quite ruined my introduction, girl! Get into class and I'll think about letting you off a tardiness detention!"

"I'D ASK MY FRIENDS TO COME AND SEE AN OCTOPUS'S GARDEN WITH ME!"

"You suck!" Came a cry from inside the classroom. Scarlet leaped up the last few rungs and snarled.

"Bite me!" She yelled back.

"Sit _down_, Miss Lennon!" Trelawney was positively squealing now, pointing a bony finger towards Scarlet's usual seat next to Pansy Parkinson.

"Anything you say, Professor Trelawney," Scarlet giggled, taking her seat next to Pansy.

"And where were you all last night?" Pansy whispered as Trelawney began to speak to the class. "I hope you didn't do anything disgusting in my shirt."

"Depends what you mean by disgusting," Scarlet smirked. "And I was having _adventures_."

"What kind of adventures? With who?"

"Never you mind," Scarlet winked. "Now Pansy, let's not carry on with this nonsense! There's divination work to be done!"

An hour and a half later, Scarlet was free from the stifling, stinking divination room. "I'm going to shower," she told Pansy, fanning her face. "I'm absolutely disgusting."

"Yes, you are," Pansy frowned. "What _did _you get up to last night?"

Scarlet smiled and headed off to the dungeons while Pansy went to the Great Hall for morning tea. After a quick shower, she padded down to the common room and was surprised to see Draco Malfoy in a chair, idly flinging an insect across the room with his wand.

"Ah, Draco!" She said, grasping the back of his chair and smiling widely. "Just the man I wanted to see."

"And why exactly did you want to see me, Scarlet?" Draco drawled back, sending the insect shooting into the stone wall. It fell to the floor and didn't move. Scarlet drew the videotape out of her bag and tapped it on the chair.

"You'll make sure Hermione Granger sees this," Scarlet said, her smile widening. Don't watch it before she sees it, and tell _nobody_ how you got it. Do you understand?"

"And why should I do this for you?" Draco asked, taking the tape and turning it over in his hands. "Last I heard, you were buddying up to the mudblood and her muggle-loving friends."

"I'll tell you exactly why you should do this for me, _Malfoy_. You hate the mudblood?"

"Of course, _Lennon_. And why are we reverting to last-name terms?"

"Because, shutup. This tape has something on it that will destroy her."

"Why do you want to destroy her?" Draco asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her and resuming his turning-over of the tape. "I thought you were friends."

"I don't _want_ to destroy her," Scarlet replied. "I _want_ to have adventures. Cause chaos! Make life interesting. She's just a casualty of war."

"The war on monotony?" Draco asked dully. Scarlet smiled.

"Exactly."

Draco smiled. "I like the way you think, Lennon. But I have one suggestion. If you want to be totally removed from suspicion regarding this tape, don't come to History of Magic this afternoon."


	11. Propositions and Heartbreak

Several students were drooling on their tables, Binns' monotonous voice sending them into a stupor. Draco felt himself slipping away into sleepiness, and knew that if he did not act now then he would fall asleep and the tape would fail to be seen. He waved his wand under his desk, and heard a loud crashing noise outside as proof that his spell had worked correctly. Binns blinked for a moment, and Draco prayed that he was not so apathetic that he would carry on teaching after the huge crashing sound. After a second, however, his fears were laid to rest when Binns stood up sleepily and ambled out to the corridor. Draco cast his eyes around the room. Scarlet was not there. Absent, too, was Potter. Draco wondered at this momentarily before tapping the tape with his wand. A projection was blasted onto the blackboard, which drew the eyes of every student in the room.

"Holy _shit!_" Came a cry.

"What the …?!" Came another.

"Is that…"

"I think it is!"

"It's _Potter!_"

"And _Lennon!_"

Even Draco's jaw dropped, wide eyes barely taking in what he was seeing. He looked over to where Hermione sat. Her stare was vacant, but her mouth was open and her hands were slowly crushing the parchment on her desk. He chuckled, and saw her head snap around to where he sat, the tape lying on the desk and continuing to project its images.

"_HOW DID YOU DO THAT?_" She shrieked, nearly flying towards him, hands outstretched like talons. "_HOW DID YOU MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THAT? THAT'S NOT REAL!_"

"I assure you, Granger, it is real," Draco said, stopping Hermione within millimetres of his throat.

"Where did you get it?"

"I never reveal my sources."

"_TELL ME!_"

"Don't think I will actually," Draco said, leaning back in his seat and, with a final look at the projection, he tapped the tape with his wand. It emitted a small, pink puff of shimmering smoke and the projection faded. He shoved the video back in his bag, ignoring the look of deepest longing Hermione gave it. "Better get back to your desk, Granger. Binns'll be back soon and I don't think he'll take too kindly to any… shall we say… _shenanigans_ in his classroom."

-----

"I think he's a toerag."

"But she's hot. Who wouldn't hit that?"

Scarlet smiled as she looked around the common room. Everywhere she looked, Gryffindor tower was divided as to whose side of the ordeal they were on. Harry, between rendezvous' with Scarlet and his intense amount of homework, was rarely seen in the common room, but Hermione, with her natural scholarly abilities, was often seen chatting with a friend, her face covered with a thin veneer of cheeriness. Scarlet saw through this, however. She sympathised with Hermione for what she was going through, but did not dwell on it too much. Hermione was but a casualty of war, as she had said to Draco the other day. Hermione was no longer talking to Scarlet or Harry. She spent nearly all her time either with Ron or one of the other Gryffindor girls, though it was clear she did not have a strong friendship with them. It made Scarlet feel distinctly uncomfortable when Ron and Hermione huddled in the corner, talking in low voices and casting furtive looks at her with glares on their faces. Seeing Hermione send her a look to kill, Scarlet knew it was time to take a break from enjoying her chaos. She slipped quietly out of the common room and began to wander the halls. Wondering if it was too early to go down to dinner, she walked right into Draco Malfoy.

"What the crap? What are you doing up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Draco replied, dusting himself off imperiously. "Oh right, you always hang out in the _Gryffindor _common room. Too good for Slytherin, is that it?"

"I'll have you know I was admiring my handiwork. The entire house is divided, you know. This is very exciting."

"You mean _our_ handiwork," Draco corrected. "None of this would have happened if it weren't for me."

"You were expendable," Scarlet brushed him off. "I could have got someone else to do it."

"Someone else? Who else hates Granger like I do?"

"Like that even matters," Scarlet said dully, rolling her eyes. "I can be very persuasive, when I want to be."

"So why didn't you persuade somebody else?"

"Couldn't be arsed, could I? Now what is it that you want?"

"I come to you, my Lady Chaos," Draco said, bowing facetiously and miming tipping his hat. "With a business proposition. You want an adventure? Think of how it would cause an uproar in the student body if you were to have… shall we say, _relations_, with the most sought-after student here?"

"Yes, but I've already done that, you idiot, look at the Gryffindor common room," Scarlet said. Draco flushed pink, and he furrowed his eyebrows in a glare.

"I was _talking_ about me. Think of the uproar!"

Scarlet laughed. "Uproar, yeah right. You just got _ideas_ from that tape." Draco's flush reddened further. "However, I do find you mildly attractive, and it probably would mess with some people, so okay."


	12. The Final Countdown

Well, here's the final chapter of another story. I hope you enjoyed it, if you did, I have two other stories that you might enjoy too, they both feature OCs. And I have many more stories on my hard drive that are half-finished, I'm just a little busy right now because it's just about the end of the school year.

-----

"So, sweetiemuffin, how are we going to get this video out?"

"We aren't – wait, what did you just... did you just call me _sweetiemuffin_?" Scarlet collapsed into fits of laughter. "You're a fucking dickhead, you know that? Hahaha, oh my god, that… I can't believe you just… you're a dickhead." A few minutes later, when she had stopped laughing, she started talking once more. "First, don't ever call me that again. Second, why should we need a video? Besides, did you even _see_ a camera anywhere? I only needed one last time because it was the only way Hermione would believe it. Who wouldn't believe this? You've _clearly_ always been totally into me."

"What?!" Draco replied, sitting up in the bed and staring at Scarlet, still lying under the green blankets. "I have not!"

"Oh come on," Scarlet said, sitting up next to him. "Those sideways glances across the table, the lustful stares in classes -"

"Okay, so I might've thought you were pretty, but I wasn't _into _you!" Draco insisted indignantly. "If anything, it was _you_ who was into _me_!"

"Oh, come off it," Scarlet said, beginning to pull her clothes on. "I _have_ a boyfriend."

-----

Scarlet sat at the Slytherin table, a huge grin spread across her face at the chaos she had caused in the school. Nearly every person in the Great Hall was arguing with each other. Teachers were trying, and failing, to settle the students down. It was sheer bedlam, as teachers hurried around trying to settle people down, and students yelled at each other, too busy in their anger to hear what the teachers were saying. Finally, Scarlet grew bored with the chaos. Nothing about what was happening was interesting anymore. She stood up on a table and used her chunky black boots to kick off tureens of porridge and cereal, so as to have a better foothold.

"_ENOUGH!_" She cried, raising her arms up. Every single person in the Great Hall stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. She was, after all, the basis of their arguments. "You're all god damned idiots. You're acting just the way I expected you to. And now you're all fighting with each other. This is ridiculous. This isn't about you, this isn't about the person next to you. You're divided up even within your divisions of house. And that's another thing. There's so much house rivalry. Fighting with each other just to win a sports game? You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Look around you. Look at the Ravenclaws. Look at the Hufflepuffs. Look at the Gryffindors. And look at the Slytherins. They all look pretty similar, don't they? We're all people, we're all the same. No one house is better than the others. There's no reason we can't all just get along."

The students stared at her for a moment. Then, they started to clap. Some people whooped at her, some just smiled. But the way they looked at people of other houses, there was something different in their eyes. And Scarlet thought she knew what it was.

"That was very nice, Miss Lennon," said a voice in her ear, "but would you mind getting off the table?" Scarlet turned to see the strict face of McGonagall staring back at her. To her relief, the teacher did not look angry. Scarlet smiled.

"Sure, Professor."

"Miss Lennon," McGonagall began. "New timeturners have been made. I have one with me now. Are you ready to go?"

Scarlet took one last look around the Great Hall, at the students celebrating their newfound unity. They were sitting with members of other houses, chatting animatedly. Harry, Ron and Hermione were talking to each other and laughing. Draco had his arm around Pansy Parkinson, making some peculiar gestures with his free hand. Severus Snape was watching her intently, and waved when he caught her eye. Scarlet raised a hand in recognition, then waved goodbye. Severus' smile turned into a frown and he nodded, downcast. Scarlet turned away and looked back at McGonagall.

"Sure, Professor," she repeated. She took the offered timeturner and slipped it over her head. McGonagall took it in her hand and spun it.

"Goodbye, Miss Lennon," McGonagall said, as Scarlet felt the pull of the timeturner. "You will be sorely missed… until we see you again in ten years, I suppose."

The professor's face turned into a blur which spun wildly, making Scarlet feel quite like she was on a carnival ride after eating too many hot dogs. After a moment, she landed in the deserted Great Hall. But it was deserted for only a few more moments, as students from the train began to pour in. McGonagall's timing was impeccable. Scarlet began to grin wildly as she saw a familiar mop of black and blue hair.

"Simon!" She cried, elbowing her way through the crowd. "Oh my god, I've missed you so much!"

"Scarlet, you're back! Oh man, I was scared I'd never see you again -"

"Me too Si, me too. I've been gone for like, two months! Do you have my iPod?"

"Of course, Scar." Simon handed Scarlet the contraption, which she hugged to her chest. "Way to make me feel important to you, jeez."

"Oh, sorry," Scarlet said, hugging Simon too. "I missed you!"

"You think you had it bad? I had to spend all day without you!"

"Simon, I was away from _you_ for like, two whole months!"

Simon tapped his nose cryptically and winked. "But, my dear, one day away from you is more terrible than two months away from me. I'm just a regular guy and you're Scarlet Lennon." Scarlet smiled and hugged him again.

"You're such a sweetie, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. So, did you have fun on your trip?"

Scarlet's smile widened, and she put her arm around Simon's waist and walked towards the Ravenclaw house table. He raised an arm around her shoulders and she rested her head against his shoulder, which was incidentally the perfect height. She had always loved that he was that much taller than her. "Fun?" She said, with a laugh. "I guess you could say that."


End file.
